Hybrids or Used Cars – What is better for your Carbon Footprint?
May 20, 2008
A recent post on Wired.com discussed the merits of buying a brand new Toyota Prius, a beacon of environmentalism, versus buying a used car whose mileage per gallon may not appear as impressive at first.
The key difference comes in the energy required to build the car. If you buy a used car, then you reduce your carbon footprint by not using up the energy that goes into actually manufacturing the machine. Whereas is you buy a new Prius, then your carbon footprint is instantly the equivalent of burning 1000 gallons of gasoline before you even drive the car off the lot.
Once you start driving, of course you will use less fuel, but it could take up to ten years, or even more for some older but fairly efficient vehicles, to make up the initial handicap.
For example, if you compare a ten year old Toyota Tercel to a 2008 Prius, you would have to chalk up about 100,000 miles before the benefits of the Prius paid off in a smaller carbon footprint.
But is it really that simple? Something you would need to take into consideration is that it can be pretty hard these days to find a ten year old Tercel in decent condition whereas the new Prius will get you at least ten more years. Also, the more demand for new hybrid and other fuel-efficient cars, the more investment they will get from the big auto manufacturers. The more investment, the better the next generation of cars.
Ultimately the choice is one that you’ll have to make for you specific situation but it is not nearly as cut and dry as you might think.
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